


The Princess and the Knight

by Sheikahwriter



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Sexual, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Warning before Explicit Chapter, platonic, romantic, zelink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:26:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheikahwriter/pseuds/Sheikahwriter
Summary: After battling the Calamity for 100 years, Zelda is finally reunited with her knight, Link. Though her love for him still burns strongly, there is time to make up for when they were apart. The princess must wait longer for her love to be returned.





	The Princess and the Knight

 

She took a step forward, her hand going out to the air. She felt the blades of grass fold over her feet, the sensation tingling her feet. It felt all foreign to her, but at the same time it was familiar. Her other foot moved forward, and she felt her body go weak. Her knees were shaking, she lost her breath, and everything went dark for a moment. Did she fall? Was she falling?

It was over. She watched the Champions and her Father go away, finally freed from their bond with the Calamity and to her spirit. She felt them go, and she let them go, knowing it was her time. It was all over, but what was there left for them to live for?

There was someone else touching her, and her eyes opened again. His hand was under hers, and he was gazing into her eyes, filled with emotions Zelda had never seen in him before.

“Let me take you home.”

The princess didn’t say anything, but let the knight guide her to his horse. “Ready?” He put to hands on her waist and lifted her up. She threw one leg over, steading herself on the saddle. He put his foot on the saddle and hopped over in front of Zelda. He held the reigns, turning his head back to her.

“You ready?”

She nodded, and as soon as he hit the reigns, she wrapped her arms around his waist. They sped off on the road, and they stayed silent except for the times Link would sooth his horse or speed up to make the trip faster. She kept an eye on her surroundings taking in the fresh sights.

The new sights of destruction.

Destroyed. She remember running through it, flames and all, warding off the guardians. She could see everything deteriorate over the years and years of just waiting for Link to return. She watched buildings crumble and lives fall and people migrate. She experienced it all, but was only a spectator. Memories flooded back, she felt her head pound, and then a hand on hers.

She gripped his body tighter as he pulled into Hateno, no time for conversation with anyone. No one stopped him or the figure sitting behind him.

He slowed down as he crossed the bridge, and Zelda lifted her head.

A house. A nice, decently sized place with an apple tree and a gated area for horses. It was Link's house. It was all green grass and looked so warm and cozy with the pot and fire outside, as if it were waiting for someone to return home. It was almost love at first sight.

“I'll get you off.”

She released him and he stepped off, then offered a hand out to the princess. She used both of her hands to steady herself as she slid off, fixing her dress in the back.

He led her inside, opening the door into his cozy shack. “I know it's no castle, but I hope you still like it, princess Ze-”

“Please, Link. Call me Zelda. The monarchy has been gone for a century,” she replied, managing to release a giggle.

Link nodded, a smile creeping onto his face. His eyes looked into hers for a moment, and he felt his shell break instantly.

She could feel it too, because she collapsed into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Link...I have never been so happy to see you in my entire life...” she whispered.

Warmth. She felt his life in her arms--his blood pressure rising, his breathing spike and then lower back down. She touched his tunic, she could feel his bones and muscles. She felt someone else with her for once in over one hundred years.

He hugged her in return, a hand on her head, “Zelda...I just wanted you to be safe. I want to keep doing my job and keep you safe, if that's ok. I know we’re both alone.”

There was no response. Instead, Link just felt her breathing against him. Her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and Link couldn't help but grin at the princess, completely knocked out in his arms.

It's not the first time he would carry her to bed. There were countless times on their journey's she would pass out by the fire, and Link would lift her up ever so gently to place her on a bed roll, or sometimes event move the tent around her.

Part of him wanted to stay like this with her on the ground, holding her in his lap. But his sensibility overcame his desire. He lifted her up in his arms and walked upstairs.

He placed her in his bed and simply gazed at her for a moment. It was pure bliss seeing her so relaxed for once. She was softly breathing, and Link just wanted to watch her finally earn the rest she deserved. But he pushed that aside, putting his thoughts back on track.

Strange, Link wasn't prepared for the bed situation as much as it should have been predicted. Bolson didn’t think to install two beds. He would address that later. For now, Zelda was going to sleep for as long as she needed, while Link prepared for her to actually be awake. She needed clothes for sure--the dress was probably just a bad memory at this point. And then she needed food.

He was going to cook her a giant feast. A feast like back at the castle, but it was his cooking and it was going to be amazing. He knew her favorite dishes, so he was going to prepare them just for her. After a hundred years, she deserved the best meal of her life.

~

She woke up to the smell of food and gentle clanging below her.

She moved her feet, feeling her foot kick some fabric off of the bed and hearing it land with a thud. She slowly sat up, looking at the set of clothes that fell down and a belt. 

Zelda could hurry up and change up here. He was too busy downstairs doing whatever, and she was sick of the dress. She slipped it off, yet folded it gently and placed it back on the bed to keep it neat. She threw on the long sleeve tan tunic and a pair of white pants.

She gazed over the railing of the second floor to see Link preparing food at the stove, and ran downstairs to meet him.

He was out of his tunic and in something similar to what she had on, a sort of undershirt and his pair of pants. He turned to see her and was greeted with a question.

“How long was I asleep?” 

He shrugged, “A whole day. Around twenty hours.”

“Twenty?! Oh, what a waste of time!” She cried. “Why didn't you wake me up?”

He chuckled, “You held back Ganon for a hundred years yesterday. I think you deserve a bit of a power nap.”

She walked up to the table, “Well, I think you had quite the power nap, too. But what's all this?”

Link grabbed the pot on the stove and poured it over the fish that was sitting on the table, “Dinner. Or lunch...whatever you think it is, I guess. I figured you haven't eaten in a while, so I hope you have the appetite.”

“You’re lucky I do,” she giggled, sitting at the table. Her eyes scanned the table, immediately noticing the white cake displayed on a pedestal. “Is that fruitcake!?”

He nodded, picking up a knife to cut a slice, “A little birdy around the kingdom told me it was your favorite, and I was able to find the recipe. I hope it tastes as good from when the chefs used to make it for you.”

She took the plate from him that had the slice of cake decorated with the fresh fruit. Fork in hand, she dove in, sighing as the smooth icing hit her tongue. It was a perfect blend of creaminess and sweetness. “Oh, I’ve missed your cooking, Link! You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“But you deserve it. Let’s dig in.”

Zelda and Link were off to the races. Although Link ate regularly, he finally felt like he had an excuse to pig out, and it was as if he deserved it too. Zelda’s tastebuds were drowning in her knight’s cooking that he was able to perfect from his travels. It was as if traveling helped him combine all of the different cultures of food, and with all of that he is able to make anything his heart desires.

And yet, he took the time to make her favorite dish from the castle...from one hundred years ago, just for her. Her heart skipped a beat just thinking about how sweet he was to her. Even sweeter than the fruitcake they shared that evening.

They finished their meal and pushed in their chairs. Nightfall was here and it was obvious that with each passing minute they were both getting more exhausted. They walked up the stairs, staring at the single bed.

“I’m going to keep sleeping downstairs until we get a new bed made. You can sleep in my bed,” Link said, opening the bottom drawer to the dresser to pull out a spare blanket.

She watched him as he walked past her to the railing of the stairs, “You’re not sleeping on the floor, are you?”

“No, I’m sleeping on top of blankets on the floor,” he joked. “Don’t worry about it. I want you to be comfortable. Have a good night, pr--Zelda…”

“You too, Link.”

It was a good thing he walked down the stairs, because her cheeks turned a bright pink when he said her name. She hurried and sat on the bed, a hand on her chin. How sweet...he was too incredibly caring for her, it was almost too much. Perhaps it was out of love? No, she couldn’t chase the dream or enhance the fantasy. As much as she wanted that to be it, she knew deep down that it was his duty. He was simply still performing his service to her.

Even after a hundred years, he was still her knight. He still felt the need to serve her. But she wanted to be equal with him, and she didn’t want to hold him back like this and have him constantly tend to her needs.

But look at the signs--nothing was stopping them now. She heard him lay down on the bottom floor, where he could easily be in bed sleeping with her.

She laid down. It was so true...he had no excuse to not sleep with her. There was no one left. Her father was gone, her mother had been long gone, and the champions were gone. No one was left.

Zelda was alone.

After one hundred years of waiting, someone was with her. The person she loved most was in the same house, the same room, and sleeping at a distance on the cold floor. She had nothing to fear to ask him to stay with her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He really was just being her knight, and nothing had changed. Zelda felt alone, despite the person who she loved was right below her.

Zelda was crying.

~

He heard her sniffing, her nose was all stuffed up and she was trying to catch her breath. He lifted his head from his pillow to see if he was hearing the right thing.

He sat up, rubbing his face to knock the drowsiness away. What was he supposed to do? Let her cry herself to sleep after hundreds of years of not laying in a bed? He spent too much of his life caring about her, he wasn’t going to let a moment slip. 

Maybe this could make up for all of the times before when he felt as if he couldn’t comfort her. Their friendship was complicated since she could never awaken her powers, and he was never the best with comforting people, but he would always place a hand on her shoulder when she needed it.

He stood up, making sure he looked half okay when approaching her.

He climbed up the stairs, each one squeaking. When his face was able to peer over to the bed, she was facing towards the window, and curled into a ball with her hands over her face. Link made his way across the room to his bed and stood over her.

She didn't move, but kept crying, as if she didn't know he was there. It physically hurt him to hear her sobs. It hurt him to know this might have been her life while he was asleep. It was painful to even think about what she went through while she was all alone. He needed to show her she wasn't alone anymore, she had someone with her. Someone who loved her.

He sat down on the bed, slowly moving a hand to touch her arm. She immediately turned as if she wasn't expecting anyone to be there, her hands away from her face.

Her eyes were wide and looked sore, mouth frowning, and she looked tired. It looked as if she were crying for hours.

She stared for a moment, as if she were thinking about what to do. When her eyes met his bright blue ones, she lost control, being reminded of what she had in front of her but yet  _ couldn’t  _ have, and immediately threw herself into him. Her face was buried in his chest, her arms around his body, and she was crying again.

Without any questions, he moved to place a hand on her back and one on her head to hold her closer. He tightened his grip after a moment, pulling her closer. 

She cried, Link stayed silent for a while to let her release her emotions. He rubbed her back and her head to make sure she knew he was there. Was he supposed to say something or just let her keep crying?

“Is something wrong?” He asked.

He felt himself mentally sigh. Of course something was wrong, she was crying. What an idiot--

“Just my thoughts,” she said, followed by a sniff. “But you're here.”

He felt his face grow warm at the last sentence, his grip around her tightened a bit. He patted her back, fighting back a small smile at the comment.

“Do you think you can sleep with me?”

His heart dropped at the thought. Sleeping with the princess. Sleeping with her. Sleeping with a girl. Sleeping with Zelda. They were all alone, nothing to stop them, and she wanted to sleep with him.

She gazed up towards him, and he nodded. She moved off of him and moved the blanket away from her. They both laid down, Link facing away from her out of respect and plain fear he would do something wrong.

“Link...” she said, sounding a bit choked up.

He turned around and saw her eyes watering again as if she were going to start crying. No, no, no, without a second thought he wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same and held onto him. 

“I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“I’ll stay with you, Zelda.”

Her head was buried into his chest, his hands were holding her body close to him. He was going to stay awake until she fell asleep, and felt her body slowly moving in rhythm with his.


End file.
